The block of Pennsylvania between 17th and 18th is dotted with several eateries and coffee shops that are easily missed if you’re not paying attention thanks to their recessed storefronts at the bottom of large office buildings. Although this is a block that I frequently walk down (usually to go to Roti for lunch), I only recently noticed that Chop’t and Jimmy Johns have locations on the block (and I’m told that they’ve been open at least a few months). Next door to Roti is Upper Crust Pizzeria, a Boston-based pizzeria with its D.C. outpost serving a distinct D.C.-oriented menu.

The Girls Happy Hour decided that in 2012, we need to convene more than once a month, and E nominated Upper Crust for our latest happy hour destination because she recently lunched there after purchasing a LivingSocial deal and noticed that they had great happy hour deals:

Although I am not a huge pizza fanatic, thin crust pizza holds a special place in my heart, and that is the only kind Upper Crust serves. We decided to order two small specialty pizzas, The Dupont (white pizza topped with prosciutto, fresh basil and tomato) and The Nationals Park (Italian sausage, bell peppers, sliced onions).

the dupont (small) | upper crust pizzeria | downtown

the nationals park (small) | upper crust pizzeria | downtown

I was expecting personal-sized pizzas, but Upper Crust’s “small” pizzas are 14″ or the typical size for large pizzas at most pizzerias. If I had noticed the diameter on the menu, we may have only ordered one pizza, but at the happy hour price of $10 per pizza (+ discounted draft beers), this was still our cheapest happy hour outing yet.

With its gourmet toppings, chewy thin crusts, and a friendly bartender slash iPod DJ, Upper Crust’s happy hour should not be missed!

Upper Crust also delivers for free (min $10 order) to Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, and within a 1-mile radius of the store in NW.

After a long run on Saturday that ended in Logan Circle, I was starving. Luckily, we were at one of my favorite blocks in D.C., on P Street between 14th and 15th. Although I’ve patronized nearly every establishment on the block (hello, lululemon, Whole Foods, Pitango, Pacer’s . . .even Stoney’s!), I’ve somehow unintentionally skipped over Commissary, whose tagline is “your neighborhood place, honest pricing.” I was happy when my run buddy A and I found two empty seats at the bar and did not need to wait for a table during the busy Saturday brunch hours.

In addition to the deliciously satisfying potato pancakes with lox, I also ordered a soy macchiato that was both properly prepared (you’d be surprised… I’m looking at you, Busboys…) and appropriately priced at $2.75 with no surcharge for soy. Including tax and tip, my wallet was minimally hit for $15 + change, which may be in the gray zone for “cheap eats” levels but is definitely a 20-30% savings on a comparable brunch elsewhere in D.C.

Commissary also makes good on it’s tagline as “your neighborhood place” by having superfriendly staff, quality service, and patrons who happily shift seats to make room at the bar. Better yet, it only serves local, all natural, grass-fed steak, poultry, and dairy products, with many items being sourced from EatWells farm in La Plata, Maryland.

Commissary’s extensive menu means there’s something for everyone, including vegetarians and vegans. A ordered the vegetarian asparagus, spinach and tomato benedict with home fries ($8.95), and she equally enjoyed her meal. An omnivore to the core, I will be returning soon for the “pulled pork and cornbread benedict with BBQ hollandaise” ($9.25).

When I saw that Toki Underground was hosting two special pop-up tasting menus for Chinese New Year, I was ecstatic. I quickly called and was one of the lucky ones to snag a reservation for Chef Thang Le’s dinner on Tuesday night.

I was so excited, that there was almost a fear of unrealistic expectations. But Chefs Le and Yang did not disappoint.

I won’t even attempt to pick a favorite course because I simply could not get enough of all the courses, but in summary:

Wish It Was Available in Bulk: Course 2 – the black garlic soubise that accompanied the perfectly prepared scallops and pickled sardines, pomegranate, and turnips.

It’s the year of the dragon, and to start this especially auspicious year on the right foot, I prepared a 10-course dinner for a few friends. I made an extra effort to include symbolic and traditionally served dishes to double down on my luck.

chicken corn soup

Last year, my Aunt K taught me how to make daikon cakes (luobo gao), a common Cantonese dim sum dish, but I also have memories of my Taiwanese grandmother regularly making the cakes from scratch. Not surprisingly, my aunt did not have exact measurements for me to follow (i.e., 1 medium-large daikon radish, 2 to 3 cups of water….). After making the cakes with my aunt’s supervision last year, I thought New Year would be a good time for my first solo-effort because the dish symbolizes prosperity.

daikon radish cake | luobo gao

I also made pork-shrimp potstickers (goyza), which symbolize wealth!

pork-shrimp potstickers | goyza

sticky sweet rice | nuomi fan

Chinese mustard greens are often served during New Year because in Chinese, it roughly translates to “long year vegetable” and symbolizes longevity.

chinese mustard greens with ginger | changnian chai

Scallops, due to their likeness to coins, also symbolize wealth.

scallops, shrimp, and mixed veggies

spicy garlic eggplant with pork

Roast duck is one dish no one in my family has ever mastered (or attempted, as far as I know). For every family gathering, the roast duck is always purchased, so I continued the tradition and ordered a whole roast duck (only half pictured) from Full Kee in Chinatown.

roasted duck (from Full Kee)

And there can’t be a Chinese New Year dinner without a whole steamed fish, which, in Chinese, shares a homonym with “surplus” or “abundance,” thus imparting a year of abundance. My dad reminded me that we shouldn’t finish the fish in order to ensure a year of luck!

steamed red snapper

For dessert, I decided to serve the traditional Taiwanese pineapple cakes. Although I initially purchased some pineapple cakes from the Chinese grocery store, I later decided to take a crack at making my own from scratch. I quickly learned why everyone BUYS these cakes instead of making them at home. Due to a variety of issues (namely, having a filling that was too thin), in the end, I yielded really buttery shortbread. I actually managed to salvage much of the filling, corrected my mistake, and have a container of the filling in my fridge, ready for my second crack at the pineapple cake (stay tuned for a future post!). I offered my friends both the store-bought and homemade versions:

A few weeks ago, I bought a LivingSocial offer for Ming’s in Chinatown. Ming’s is a relative newcomer to the few remaining Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

My parents visited this past weekend, and I decided to take a gamble with Ming’s. My parents ordered items I would never think to order myself, partly because their English translations on the menu are not nearly as appealing as their Chinese names — “assorted meat and seafood with tofu casserole” and “pork chop kingdom.” I hedged and went with the beef chow fun with Chinese broccoli.

They were all . . . pretty good? Next time, I’d probably order the regular beef chow fun and specify the “dry” preparation (gan chao niu huh) rather than the “gravy” style of the Chinese broccoli version. The sauce on the pork chop kingdom was a bit too sweet and heavy compared to other versions I’ve had…but I think one of the pork chop options at Ming’s must surely be a hit. The casserole was actually probably the best dish. . . I thoroughly enjoyed the scallops!

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